The present invention relates to a reserve automobile heating system. In the prior art, heating systems for vehicles are well known, however, none is known to applicant which proposes to heat the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle when the engine is not running and in the precise manner with which the present invention operates.
The following prior art is known to applicant: U.S. Pat. No. 3,496,855 to De Boer discloses an augmented automobile heating system designed to be used before the vehicle engine warms up sufficiently to provide adequate heat to the passenger compartment. The De Boer device uses an auxiliary electric heater mechanism powered by the vehicle battery. This is different from the teachings of the present invention which only operates after the vehicle engine has already warmed up and which does not use an electrical heater but, rather, uses laden heat from the engine to heat the passenger compartment.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,539 to Boehmfeld discloses a heating system for internal combustion engines which includes a holding tank designed to be used to store heated coolant for later use in heating the passenger compartment of the vehicle. This is different from the teachings of the present invention in that the present invention does not require the use of an additional tank and the complicated plumbing which the Boehmfeld et al, invention requires but, rather, merely requires that circulation of coolant through the engine block to pick up heat therefrom and transport the heat, fluidly, to a heat exchanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,171 to Fukami discloses a heating system for automobiles with heat storage tank. The Fukami et al device, as in the Boehmfeld et al device, uses a heat accumulating hot water tank. This tank is designed to not only provide for interior heating but also to provide a warming up function for the engine as well as an engine overheating preventive function. Again, this is different from the teachings of the present invention which does not require any tank or the complicated plumbing which is taught by Fukami et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,591,691 to Badali discloses an auxiliary electric heating system for internal combustion engine powered vehicles which includes an electrical heating element to heat coolant which is circulated by an electric pump. Of course, this is different from the teachings of the present invention which uses no electrical heating means but, rather, only uses the laden heat which is contained within the vehicle engine as a result of the operation thereof.